ISLAMABAD: Following the Supreme Court’s verdict in the CNG pricing formula case, the government has slashed Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) prices big time with immediate effect, Geo News reported.

For Region I (Potohar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan) the CNG price has dropped by Rs30.90 to Rs61.64 per kilogramme.

Whereas for Region II ( Sindh, Punjab,and its areas excluding Potohar) the new price of CNG now stands at Rs54.16 with a decrease of Rs 30.38 per kilogramme.

Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA)has issued a notification which states the new prices will take effect today (Thursday, October 25).

Earlier on Thursday the Supreme Court resumed hearing the case regarding petroleum and CNG prices and issued the interim order, declaring the current CNG pricing formula was against the law and ordered to implement the July 1, 2012 prices.

A two-member bench of the apex court, comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and Justice Jawwad S Khawaja, heard the case regarding petroleum prices today.

The court stopped the authorities to link petroleum prices with the CNG prices as it is unjustified.

Secretary Petroleum Waqar Masood apprised the bench that the weekly notification of petroleum prices has been halted until Economic Coordination Committee’s (ECC) decision while the agreement between the government and CNG association over the operating cost has also been suspended. He further told the bench that the link between petrol and CNG prices has also been abolished.

The minister continued saying that the earlier policy to fix POL prices will be implemented now.

The chairman of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) Saeed Ahmed Khan submitted a report on the formula used for fixing gas prices following the SC directives.

The report stated that owners were making Rs11 per kg profit and Rs20 per kg operating cost on CNG.

Since last few years, cows are separated from goats and camels and are sold on other side of the road. Cows get more attention thanks to the media and are now taken as status symbol rather than a mean to follow Sunnah of Prophet Ibrahim (AS).

This year the average size goats range between 20-30,000 rupees, though there are exceptional animals with price tag from 50,000 to 100,000. Bargaining is a must, and is expected from both sides. As a rule of thumb, bring the asking price to half and then slowly proceed upwards to a spot reasonable for both parties.

There were lots of camels this year, with prices ranging between 80,000 to 2000,000.

Following are few pictures from a recent trip to the Bakra Mandi.

Origins of the fort go as far back as antiquity, however, the existing base structure was built during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar between 1556–1605 and was regularly upgraded by subsequent Mughal, Sikh and British rulers.It has two gates one is known as Alamgiri Gate build by Emperor Aurangzeb which opens towards Badshahi Mosque and other older one known as Maseeti (Punjabi language word means of Masjid) or Masjidi Gate which opens towards Masti Gate Area of Walled City and was built by Emperor Akbar. Currently Alamgiri Gate is used as the principal entrance while Masti Gate is permanently closed .The fort manifests the rich traditions of Mughal architecture.Some of the famous sites inside the fort include: Sheesh Mahal, Alamgiri Gate, Naulakha pavilion, and Moti Masjid. In 1981, the fort was inscribed as a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site along with the Shalimar Gardens (Lahore).

The Pakistan Pavilion at Expo 2010 is designed as a replica of the fort.

Origins

The origins of Lahore Fort are obscure and are traditionally based on various myths. However, during the excavation carried out in 1959 by the Department of Archaeology, in front of Diwan-e-Aam, a gold coin of Mahmood of Ghazni dated AH 416 (1025 AD) was found at a depth of 7.62 metres from the level of the lawns. Cultural layers continued to a further depth of 5 metres, giving strong indications that people had lived here long before the conquest of Lahore by Mahmood in 1021 AD. Further mention of the fort is traceable to Shahab-ud-din Muhammad Ghuri’s successive invasions of Lahore from 1180 to 1186 AD.

In 1758, the fort was captured by the Maratha forces under Raghunathrao.

Then the Bhangi Sikh Dynasty (1716–1810), one of the 12 Sikh Kingdoms (Misl) of Punjab ruled Lahore City from 1760s until 1799 and expanded the City of Lahore. When Ranjit Singh, another Sikh chief from the Gujranwala area took Lahore from the Bhangi Misl the Lahore Fort fell to Ranjit Singh and in 1801 he was crowned as the emperor of all of the Punjab.

Lahore Fort and the city from (1799–1849) remained under the control of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Sher-e-Panjab, and his sons, grandsons and wives, until the fall of the last Sikh empire or the Lahore Darbar in 1849.

Structure

The strategic location of Lahore city between the Mughal territories and the strongholds ofKabul, Multan, and Kashmir required the dismantling of the old mud-fort and fortification with solid brick masonry. The structure is dominated by Persian gardens influence that deepened with the successive refurbishments by subsequentemperors.The fort is clearly divided into two sections: first the administrative section, which is well connected with main entrances, and comprises larger garden areas and Diwan-e-khas for royal audiences. The second – a private and concealed residential section – is divided into courts in the northern part, accessible through ‘elephant gate’. It also contains Shish Mahal (Hall of Mirrors of Mirror Palace), and spacious bedrooms and smaller gardens. On the outside, the walls are decorated with blue Persian kashi tiles. The original entrance faces the Maryam Zamani Mosque, whereas the larger Alamgiri Gate opens to the Hazuri Bagh through to the majestic Badshahi Mosque.

Gallery

Deosai

Azad Kashmir

Hidden Lake Karumbar

Kaghan Vally

Mingora

Mir Ali Vally

Neelum Vally

Dudipatsar lake

Paras Vally Naran

Ushoran Vally

Bureth Lake

Shangrilla resorts

Kaghan

Kail Valley

Khawab Nagri

Murree

Thar Desert

Trango Towers

In a bid to revive international cricket in Pakistan, a World XI will play two exhibition Twenty20 matches against a Pakistan Star XI, the Sindh sports minister Dr Mohammad Ali Shah has announced.

The ‘World XI’ team is comprised of former and active professional players from Sri Lanka, West Indies, South Africa and Afghanistan. The two matches will be played on October 20 and 21 at the National Stadium Karachi with former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya slated to lead the World XI against a Shahid Afridi-led Pakistan XI.

“World XI team will be arriving in Karachi on October 18 to play a series of two twenty20 matches,” Shah said. “There are some notable player touring and this is a big breakthrough.

“I have been working from last one year to make this event possible. We have finalised all the arrangements to hold these matches in a befitting manner under tight security. Both matches will be played under floodlights. The event will give a soft image of Pakistan around the world and would encourage the teams to visit Pakistan.”

“Around 5,000 policemen will be employed to avoid any lapse and we are sure that these arrangements will put the players at ease,” said Shah. “All the players are excited over the prospect of visiting Pakistan.”

The idea to bring a World XI to Pakistan was first lobbied a year ago, but the tour was cancelled twice earlier this year when PCB refused to sanction the tournament. The PCB has issued ‘No Objection Certificates’ to the contracted players due to participate this time and has allowed the use of the National Stadium, but all the logistic arrangements, broadcasting deals and security arrangements were made by Shah with the support of the local government in Karachi.

Pakistan has not had international cricket since terrorists ambushed the Sri Lanka team bus during a Test match in Lahore in March 2009. Since then, Pakistan has had to play most of their ‘home’ matches in the UAE. The PCB’s recent attempt to have Bangladesh tour were stymied when the Bangladesh high court set a four-week embargo on the national team’s plans to visit Pakistan, citing concerns over security.

World XI: Sanath Jayasuriya (capt), Ricardo Powell, Steven Taylor, Jermaine Lawson, Adam Sanford (West Indies), Justin Kemp, Loots Bosman, Andre Nel, Andre Seymore, Nantie Hayward (South Africa), Shapoor Zadran and Mohammad Shahzad (Afghanistan). Officials: Alvin Kallicharran (coach cum manager)

Pakistan XI: Shahid Afridi (capt), Younis Khan, Nasir Jamshed, Asad Shafiq, Shahzaib Hasan, Khalid Latif, Umar Akmal, Fawad Alam, Shoaib Malik, Umar Gul, Mohammad Sami, Wahab Riaz, Sarfraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Imran Nazir

Features

The palace has an area of 18,500 sq ft (1,720 m²) and its facade is trimmed with windows, stonebrackets, spandrels, domes, balustrades with floral motifs and exquisite railings. There are nine domes, with a centre dome in the middle; while the windows in the front portion opening out into the garden are of blue colour and those in the rear area are arched windows with stained glass. The palace has large stately rooms designed for entertainment on the ground floor and more private facilities on the first floor, where there is a terrace provided with a shade from intense sunlight. The palace is solely made up of teak wood with a polished staircase, long corridors and doors opening within doors. The “barsati” (terrace) of the Mohatta Palace had a beautiful family temple dedicated to Hindu God, lord Shiva.

Mohatta Palace was a luxurious home built in the late 1920s, consisting of 18,500 sq.yards. The elegant palace is built on different levels and was a summer house for Mr.Mohatta for two decades before he left for India in 1947. There are three levels, basement, ground floor, first floor till you reach the roof. The basement that lies on the north side of the building is quite small and comprises a staircase going downwards towards a hot water pool chamber which has a connected changing room. They say it had a hot and cold water system attached, which would supply the water to the pool. Near the pool chamber are small ventilators, two on each side which may have been used as a source of sunlight and letting out steam. Similarly there was a door leading to a secret tunnel that leads from the grounds of the palace all the way to a subterranean Hindu temple less than a kilometer away. This tunnel was apparently built to provide a safe passage for the Hindu wife of Shivratan Chandratan Mohatta for her daily worship.

This tunnel still exists today, though over time it has caved in, and the entrance is blocked from both ends. Upon stepping inside the building is a corridor which connects to each room situated on the ground floor. The ground floor contains large stately rooms designed for entertainment two towards the right side of the entrance (north), two towards the left (south) and one at the back. The movement inside the building is through the great entrance into a spacious corridor that runs around a huge hall with ornate ceilings and a staircase on the South side.

There is a large square hall with seven openings leading into a corridor. The hall acts as a datum and around it the corridors are connected to the rooms where different activities are held. On the south between the two rooms is a solid teak wood, polished staircase connecting ground floor and first floor.

On each corner of the palace are octagonal towers, in which only two near the front entrance have spiral staircases which go up to the roof. At the far end, opposite the entrance is a room for entertainment which has few stairs on each side leading directly into the grounds at the back of the palace.

When viewed from outside, the ground floor has two very ornate windows on either side of the entrance consisting of three shutters in each. The same windows are on the north and south side as well, on either side of the stairs which lead from the rooms to the grounds. The octagonal towers have five windows each. In the same way there is a protruding ‘chhajja’ which goes all around the ground floor to provide shade.

The first floor has private facilities unlike the ground floor. Although this floor also has a large hall in the centre having ten doors which open into the corridor that frames it on two sides (north and south) and private rooms on the other sides (east and west). There are four large bedrooms with attached restrooms and dressing rooms. Each bedroom has two openings, more like ‘doors opening into doors’. The staircase on the south ends on this floor, leaving a passageway to the left which connects to the octagonal tower staircase that leads up to the roof. There is a similar staircase on the opposite end which leads up to the roof. Whereas the remaining two towers remain disconnected, just giving an outdoor view from the windows to each floor.

Similarly there are windows situated right above the ones on the ground floor giving a view of the vast grounds below. Also there are three openings into the large terrace on the first floor, which overlooks the Arabian Sea. Moreover, the roof top is perhaps the most interesting part of the building, giving an aerial view of the surrounding neighbourhood and the beautiful landscaping done in below.

The rooftop is connected by staircases coming all the way up from the ground floor, through the frontal north and south octagonal towers. The four octagonal towers are topped by chattris. In the middle of the towers, on both of the north and south side are dainty three portioned, rectangular chattris. Altogether there are nine domes, with a centre dome in the middle and smaller four domes around it. This is slightly elevated and is like a room overlooking the rooftop. It has stairs on the north and south side and the five domes are interconnected.

What many do not know about the Mohatta Palace is the secret underground tunnel that leads from the grounds of the palace all the way to a subterranean Hindu temple less than a kilometer away. This tunnel was apparently built to provide a safe passge for the Hindu wife of Shivratan Chandratan Mohatta to go for her daily worship. The tunnel still exists today, though over time it has caved in, and the entrance is blocked from both ends.

Legend

Various stories allege the presence of supernatural happenings at the Mohatta Palace. Some museum guides acknowledge that the building may be haunted, citing various incidents where objects have been moved from their original place, or shifted about. There are also rumours that the palace is haunted by ghosts of the British Raj era with guards having “felt” the presence of these spirits during the night. These claims however remain unverified and the guards themself claim that no serious harm has been done.

[edit]Exterior details

Mohatta palace is an elaborate building with intricate details which are present in almost every portion of this magnificent building. These are in the form of carvings. The delicate designs include bird’s wings in the large windows, situated in the top right and left corners of the arches.

There are also peacock motifs in the stonework and they are found around each of the nine domes. Also there has been a lot of use of the scallop shape in upwards and downward positions around the lower areas, in the form of a strip going around the building and on top of the first and second floor windows that protrude outwards. There are also many floral motifs around the surrounding wall, between each scallop, such as marigolds. Hibiscus flowers too are found lightly carved between rectangular shapes underneath all the windows, which are on the sides of the doorways.

Similarly each window and doorway is framed by two large, intricately carved marigolds at the top right and left side of the arches.

Moreover the balustrade terrace, rooftop and octagonal towers have dainty knobs and a rectangular box like shape chiselled into each baluster.

Furthermore there are decorative brackets underneath each window, projecting ‘chhajja’, entrance ways, domes, all around the building which make it look more delicate to ones eye. Also each of the columns around the building has motifs and flowers engraved horizontally between spaces. These go all around the building in a horizontal line.

Similarly the five domes of the barsati have lines etched into them, giving them more form and texture, unlike the octagonal towers which are just plain except for the peacock carving which is present in all of the domes.

[edit]After Independence

After Mohatta’s departure to India, the Government of Pakistan acquired the building to house the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1947. Fatima Jinnah, the sister of the Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, moved into it in 1964. In the ’60s Mohatta Palace was dubbed Qasre-e-Fatima, becoming the hub of her presidential campaign against President Ayub Khan. After her questionable sudden death, her sister Shireen Jinnah moved in to occupy the ground floor for many years. With her death in 1980, the palace was sealed.

[edit]Museum

In 1995 it was purchased by the Government of Sindh for its conversion into a Museum devoted to the arts of Pakistan. As a result of the interest taken by the Government of Sindh who took over the ownership of the property and appointed an independent board of trustees headed by the Governor, to formulate recommendations on how best to adapt and use the palace. The trust was established to manage the property and ensure that it would not be sold or utilised for commercial or any other purpose other than that stipulated in the trust deed.Funds for the acquisition of collections for the museum and the construction of an extension will be raised by the trustees through private and public grants, donations and other fund raising activities.The Museum formally opened in 1999. Behind the building can be found a small collection of “English” statues such as Queen Victoria, soldiers of the Raj.

Views of Mohatta Palace

The activity had started on the 17th of December 2009 and is in full swing these days. We would love for schools, universities and individuals to join us in this patriotic gesture.

We are planning to paint a 7 x 1350 ft wall opposite Shah Ghazi’s Mazaar.

The theme is a Positive Pakistan, chosen to display the unique qualities of our nation.

So join us to paint a positive Pakistan!

This is an ongoing activity, so everyone has plenty of to join in. Details of the event are provided below:

Location: The wall directly opposite Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s Mazaar (total size: 7 x 1350ft), stretching from the roundabout till the NBP stadium

Theme: Positive Pakistan.

Your particular school, college or university can participate by choosing any of the following themes and then join us in this noble and patriotic cause.

This theme has been further divided into the following twenty categories.

1. People
2. Food
3. Media
4. National Security
5. Arts & Crafts
6. Marine / Wildlife
7. Fashion
8. Sport
9. Art
10. Mohammed Ali Jinnah
11. Transport (Chosen by KSA)
12. Music
13. Theater
14. Poetry
15. Literature
16. Tourism
17. Cultures: From each province (Chosen by KSA)
18. Business & Commerce

FAISALABAD: The 11th animal (goat, ram, bull) beauty  competition will be held at Lal Mills Chowk, Factory Area, on October 12.

Chief organizer of animal beauty competition, Ch Ata Muhammad Gujjar  said on Monday it was a regular feature to entice dealers to sell and purchase most beautiful animals for sacrifice on Eid-ul-Azha.

He said that last year, a 295-kg goat and a 1,639-kg bull had won the competitions in their respective categories.The Largest Mandi of Animals of the Asia at Super Highway, Sohrab Goth, Karachi. Rates are too high and its not easy for a common man to buy Cow. Some Cows prices are more than 10 Lakhs. Cow mandi is also know as cattlemarket. The biggest Cattle market of Pakistan is in Sohrab Goth Karachi.

Lahore Museum (Punjabi: لاہور میوزیم, Urdu: لاہور عجائب گھر), was originally established in 1865-66 on the site of the hall or building of the 1864 Punjab Exhibition and later shifted to its new (present) site located on The Mall, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan in 1894. Rudyard Kipling’s father, John Lockwood Kipling, was one of the earliest and most famous curators of the museum. Over 250,000 admissions were registered in 2005.

The Lahore Museum was established in 1864 in Lahore on Mall Road in front of Punjab university. the current building of Lahore Museum was designed by famous architect Sir Ganga Ram.Lahore Museum is one of the biggest museum of the country.it has large collections of pre-historic and historic period.

Collections

The Museum contains some fine specimens of Mughal and Sikh door-ways and wood-work and contains a large collection of paintings dating back to the Mughal, Sikh and British eras. The Museum has a collection of musical instruments, ancient jewellery, textiles, pottery, and armory. There are relics from the Graeco-Bactrian times as well as well as some Tibetan and Nepalese work. The museum has a number of objects of Greco-Buddhistsculptures, Mughal and Pahari paintings on display. The Fasting Buddha is one of the unique collections of the museum — in 2004 Nobuaki Tanaka, the Japanese ambassador, agreed to provide technical know how as the Buddha is popular with Japanese tourists.

Scope Of Lahore Museum

The Museum keeps the archaeological material from pre historic to the period of Hindu Shahi period. Particularly huge collections of archaeology, history, arts, fine arts, applied arts,ethnology, and craft objects.It also has extensive collection of Hellenistic and Mughal coins.

PESHAWAR: The National Peace Award winner, Malala Yusufzai, who was attacked in Swat, is currently under treatment in CMH Peshawar.

The teenage children’s right activist Malala was injured along with two other girls when unknown assailants opened fire on her vehicle in Swat.

Meanwhile, Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility of attack on Malala Yusufzai.

CMH Peshawar has called a team of doctors from Lady Reading Hospital.

According to police, Malala along with two other schoolgirls was injured when unknown attackers opened fire on her vehicle in Mingora after identifying Malala. The girls were on their way back from school.

Sources told that Malala and the two other injured girls were shifted to District Headquarter Hospital in Saidu Sharif where doctors told that Malala was hit by a bullet in her head.

Later, Malala were taken to Peshawar via helicopter and admitted in CMH Peshawar.

It is important to mention that Malala had been receiving threats to her life, after which she was provided with a special car and unarmed security personnel.

The international children’s advocacy group Kids Rights Foundation included Malala among the nominees for the International Children’s Peace Prize, making her the first Pakistani girl nominated for the award.

For her courageous and outstanding services for the promotion of peace under extremely hostile conditions in Swat, she was awarded the first National Peace Award by the Pakistani government on 19 December 2011.